Variet Wall
by Kaylee Tam
Summary: Link is out on the world again, for what he'd hoped would be a simple search for a lost love. But, as he meets strange new friends and stranger enemies, he realizes things never really happen the way you might expect. Set in the TP universe.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: **This is a birthday present for Midna Hytwilian. I won't tell you what she's turning, but today's her birthday - the 13th of January - and I wrote her this story as a present! So, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Midna!  
Keep in mind that it isn't strictly finished yet and while I will update as often as I can, it may not be as often as you'd like it to be... It won't be as bad as my other fics, though. I PROMISE to finish this one. ^_^ Anyway. Enjoy!

* * *

**Variet Wall**

**Prologue**

Zelda sat in a private garden, trying to relax in its serenity. She took a deep breath. She was worried about the increasing monster attacks on the road; no one had died yet but the reports said their numbers were rising more and more. They hadn't been this bad since the Twili invasion a year ago.

"Princess?" asked a familiar voice.

She smiled. "General Roudolf. How are things?"

The General was older than her by a few years and wore light chain mail even though he was not in battle. He had short, brown hair, and looked at her with kind, blue eyes that beamed from a thin face with a strong jaw.

"Well, the attacks are increasing and the soldiers are restless. They know something's coming." He stepped towards her. "But I did not find you to discuss them." His voice was strong and commanding, but not overbearing.

"Then what did you wish to discuss?" Zelda asked, smiling at her comfort in his company.

He glanced for a moment at the ground. "I am leaving with your chosen regiment today, to discover the cause of these attacks." He met her gaze. "I am concerned."

"How so?"

"I am concerned that you chose me to lead these men not for my skill, but for -"

Zelda stood up. "Do you not trust me, Roudolf?" she asked sternly.

"Of course I trust you, Princess," he answered unwaveringly. His hand found hers, and he stepped closer. "I love you."

"Then trust me in all respects." She held his other hand. "I chose you to lead those men because it is you who is best suited. My decision was not wavered neither by your eagerness to return to the field nor my feelings for you."

He nodded. "I apologize for questioning you, Highness."

"Do not be, for now you have learned a lesson. As you trust me, I trust you to lead those men in your mission, no matter what may happen." She brought his hands closer to her face. "And I will miss you," she added softly.

"And I you."

They shared a short but passionate kiss, then Zelda wished him farewell before leaving the garden. He stood for a moment, then joined the preparations to leave.

* * *

It was late in the night. After a long day, the soldiers had finally made their way to the passes high in the mountains, where the monsters were said to come from. They had set up camp, and some soldiers were now going to bed. Most of them were playing cards, laughing jauntily, and talking loudly. He didn't mind; they had secured a perimeter so far that even these sounds couldn't aggravate the monsters that dwelled here.

Roudolf turned to his tent, a boon granted to him by virtue of being the General. He would be one to retire now, to better prepare himself for the following morning, as well as grant the soldiers the feeling that hey were not being watched.

Once inside, he removed his chain mail (a thing he wore more for comfort than protection) and turned to his cot. He stopped short and drew breath.

Standing before him was a man, wearing all black, with unusually pale skin and piercing blue eyes. His black hair stuck out in all directions, and his teeth... his teeth were ground sharp.

"Who are you?" Roudolf asked, surreptitiously gripping his sword from where he'd laid it to rest against the canvas of the tent. "How did you get in here?"

The man looked over him slowly, like a hunter might size up his quarry. Then he suddenly disappeared, replaced by a cloud of dark, murky smoke. Roudolf dropped his sword in shock. The smoke lunged for him, and he stumbled to the canvas wall. He couldn't see or hear anything, his heart beating frantically; unable to make any noise, he gasped for air but only inhaled thick, choking dark smoke.

* * *

After Link's great adventure, he'd turned with relief back to Ordon, hoping to find simplicity and relaxation in its familiarity. Of course, this hadn't happened; once he returned the kids (except for Malo, who had sent a note back explaining his need to remain and look after his new enterprise), everyone had wanted to know all about his travels. Rusl and Mayor Bo had gotten them to back off and let him rest, but months had passed and even they were curious even though they didn't want to admit it.

He'd told a few stories, mostly things he knew Rusl was already aware of: investigating the Yeti in Zora's Domain and saving the Gorons in the Goron Mines. He glossed over most of them, turning a fight against a giant rock monster into the dissipation of a minor diplomatic problem. Maybe he was modest, or maybe he didn't want to relive the stories.

He sat in front of his home, his feet resting on the top rung of his ladder. It was warm down here in the Ordona Province, and he could easily wear his old rancher's tunic, but this new green one was comfortable and more familiar to him.

That was another constant question. The townspeople asked him where he got the clothes, and he'd replied 'somewhere in Castle Town'. He could tell they didn't quite believe him, especially Rusl, Mayor Bo and the kids, who had actually been to Castle Town and seen the styles there, but he managed to avoid these conversations for the most part.

Epona snorted, pawing at the ground. He'd unsaddled her instantly upon his return and saw that keeping the saddle on her that long had injured her back - it had blisters and rashes and was even bleeding in some places. Ilia and Uli had put together a healing solution for her (after giving him a good talking-to), but she had taken a while to heal.

Yes, he was adjusting. Slowly.

He sighed and climbed down the ladder. He didn't have the Hyrulian shield with him, but carried the Ordon sword he'd adopted from Rusl in a sheath on his back. All his other belongings had mysteriously appeared in his home, but he'd chucked them in the basement. While useful on his travels, the Ball and Chain, for instance, did nothing for him here.

"How is she?" Ilia asked as she walked up the path to Link's home.

He looked back at Epona. "Great," he said. "She might be ready for ranching soon. Not today, though."

She nodded understandingly. "You going to help out Fado anyway?" she asked.

Link looked around his little clearing. "Actually, I was headed to Ordon Spring," he said honestly. "Did you want to come with me?"

She smiled. "Sure," she said.

They turned and walked in comfortable silence for a few moments. Link was always comfortable when it was just him and Ilia, and even recalled telling her, on a similar moment as this, about the City in the Sky and the Lakebed Temple, just to make her smile.

In spite of this, Link didn't find Ilia romantically attractive; she felt strongly like his sister, and he loved her accordingly.

"Why did you go out there?" she asked. "I mean, after you found us. Why didn't you come straight home, or stay with us?"

Link looked up at the blue sky as they walked, and decided to answer. "I needed to help Rusl and Ashei and the others." He looked back at her.

"Why? And all these adventures you went on, why did you do them alone?"

"Oh, I wasn't alone," he said as a reflex, then wished he didn't. All this time he'd been careful not to mention Midna.

They arrived at the spring, and Ilia raised her eyebrows at him. "You _weren't?"_ she asked incredulously.

He sat down before the water and looked at his hands, which sat on his lap. "No," he answered defeatedly.

When he didn't continue, Ilia kneeled next to him. "Well?" she prompted.

Link glanced at her. "Look, she was..." How could he explain his time with Midna? "You wouldn't understand."

"I'm your best friend, Link. Try me."

"She helped me," he started, and hesitated. "You know, nudged me in the right direction when I got off-track. She even... saved my life." He thought about his aided escape from prison, and how she'd helped him when Zant had turned him into a wolf.

Ilia bit back a caustic remark as she looked into his eyes. "Why is this hard for you to talk about?" she asked.

Link opened his mouth to reply, then realized he lacked an answer. Was this merely a tough subject because he had to avoid telling her about the Twili, or was it something else? For some reason, the adventures he and Midna shared seemed to need to stay that way - between him and Midna.

"You love her, don't you?"

He looked across at her. "Of course not," he said immediately.

She lifted an eyebrow at him.

He looked into the spring water and realized that he'd been holding back from fully acclimating to his old hometown because of how much he missed Midna. He missed her laugh, he missed her sarcastic and witty remarks, he missed the way she'd roll her eyes at him and tell him when he was being stupid. He hadn't realized this before because technically Midna hadn't died, and he'd been focused on keeping her a secret from the town. But now he knew he needed her back.

"Am I right?" she asked.

Link looked into Ilia's eyes silently. Now that he knew he missed her, the empty feeling it caused seemed to dominate his heart. It was familiar and he realized it had been there the whole time, but now that he was aware of it, it threatened to eat him whole.

"_That's _what I'm missing," he whispered.

She appeared vaguely hurt for a moment, then fixed her determined gaze on Link. "You should go find her," she said.

He opened his mouth, then closed it. He felt compelled to do just that. In fact, he couldn't think of a future where he didn't.

"Link, everyone knows something's wrong. I think it would be better if you tried to find her and couldn't than if you just didn't try."

Link leaned back on the sand and looked up at the green treetop skyline, smiling to himself, a small smile. "You're right," he said, hope warming his heart. He was going to go on an adventure again.


	2. Ch 1: Deal

**Author's Note:** I may actually do this... but hey, I've been wrong before. ^_^ Here's the next chapter. Have fun!  
(By the way, when I uploaded the last chapter, it was January 13th, Midna Hytwilian's birthday; today, it's January 15th, MY birthday. 8D)

* * *

**Chapter One**

**Deal**

It was a few weeks before Epona was really, fully healed. Link and Ilia had told the town that he was going back out into the world, though several details were spared. Lots of people - Uli and Colin, mainly - seemed to be especially hurt.

"Can I come with you?" Colin had asked hopefully, but Link declined. Colin dejectedly made his way back home. Had he been a little older, Rusl may have convinced Link otherwise, but as it was, Colin was too young for another adventure.

Link had packed what he could, without Midna to carry his things for him. He had his bow and quiver over his shoulder with the Hyrulian shield, and put his clawshots, bomb bags and a couple empty bottles on his belt, which he double checked to make sure it was secure.

He put a hand at his chest, and after hesitating, lifted a leather necklace from under his shirt. It had a cloth pouch tied to it. He glanced around his empty home, then peered into the pouch.

A single, finger-length onyx rock sat inside. It was a piece of Twilight, a gem of evil used for good purposes. And, as far as he knew, it still had its magic.

He thought back to the Master Sword, the sacred weapon that could save him from the gem's evil magic. He'd felt it important to return the Master Sword to its resting place as soon as he returned to the Faron Province, but perhaps he could use it again. After all, a search for a way into the Twilight Realm might require a high level of defense.

Link took a deep breath, then slipped the pouch under his tunic again. He turned around and made his way down the ladder onto the clearing below to find Ilia petting Epona in her place beside his home.

"Where are you going?" she asked when she saw Link moving toward the spring. He stopped for a moment.

"I have to get something," he said.

"From the forest?"

He breathed. "Yeah."

She grabbed something from beside Epona - a satchel. "Then I'm coming with you," she said.

"What?" he asked, surprised. "What do you mean, you're coming with me?"

"I mean I'm coming with you." She stepped forward.

He floundered for words. There were too many details he'd left out, the Sacred Grove being one of the biggest. "You can't," is what finally slipped out of his mouth.

Ilia lifted her eyebrows. "I can't?" she asked. "I heal your horse, help you realize you're in love and all you say is I _can't?"_

He shifted uncomfortably. "Look, there's a lot you don't know -"

"Then there's a lot I can learn." She stepped toward him. "I was going to wait until you were on your way out to tell you, but my dad's already agreed to it and I already have a horse. I'm coming with you, Link, and there's nothing you can do." With that, she marched off toward the spring.

Link gaped after her. This wouldn't work. How could he find a way into the Twilight Realm without letting Ilia in?

_Why not let Ilia in?_

Because it felt like he would be betraying more than his own trust if he did. The Twilight Realm and all its participation in the near downfall of Hyrule was always something that was only known between himself, Midna and the Twili monsters. It was also a knowledge shared by the Princess Zelda of Hyrule, and since she hadn't shared it with the populace, it probably shouldn't be shared at all. He had a sinking feeling about this change of plans, even if Ilia was his best friend.

Quickly Link caught up to her. "This isn't a good idea," he said firmly.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Of course it is," she said. "By the way, where are you going? It was kinda stupid running out here without knowing that."

They stopped in front of the entrance to the Ordon spring. "You're going home, Ilia," he said.

Her eyes narrowed in anger. "Link, give this up. I'm coming with you. The whole town knows. I'm doing this, I'm going to help you. I have a feeling that if you go off so single-minded you won't be able to notice the things you might need to."

"What do you think's going to happen?" he asked her. "You think we're going to go on some epic quest with underground dungeons and hundreds of monsters? It's probably going to be mostly question-asking and crowd-searching."

"And if it goes nowhere fast, you might give up." She pushed her index finger into his chest. "You might throw a tantrum or hurt someone."

Link opened his mouth for a quick retort.

"Look," she added quickly, "People change when love is involved. I'm your _friend, _and I'm going to help you." With one final glance, she took off toward the Faron province.

_All she could do is hurt!_ he shouted at himself, then followed her.

"Ilia, you don't understand! You can't do this!" he shouted stubbornly.

"We've been over this. Don't repeat the same argument. I'm staying and that's that." She walked out onto the bridge. "Even if it means you're gonna have to be more straight with me."

He narrowed his eyes at her. He needed to become a wolf to get to the sacred grove. That was something he was _not_ ready to share with her. Maybe a compromise was the only answer.

He stood in front of her and put his hands on her shoulders, looking straight into her wide, green eyes. "Ilia," he said firmly.

"I'm coming," she repeated.

"No, listen," he continued. "Sure, you can come. You can go with me all the way out to Castle Town, then anywhere that leads us. Sure, fine. I just need this one thing on my own, all right?" he asked, not breaking eye contact. "I just need to do this. Can you let me do this one thing on my own?"

She looked at him, searching. After a long moment's pause, she breathed in, and nodded. "Okay," she said. Link relaxed slightly. "But I'll be waiting with Epona. Be back soon, alright?"

He nodded. "Yes, yeah, I will. Thanks, Ilia," he added.

She smiled, still searching in his eyes. "No problem," she said, and finally turned away.

When she was no longer in his sight, Link let out a long sigh. He didn't know what he was going to do in the future, but at least for now his path was clear. He turned around and started on the rest of the bridge.

* * *

When he reached the entrance to the forest temple, Link lifted the pouch again from under his shirt. With a deep breath, he reached a finger in and brushed it across the smooth stone.

Familiarity washed over him as he was pushed forward, the colors of the world melting away and being replaced by avid scents and sounds. New and powerful muscles rolled beneath his skin.

After relishing this feeling for a few moments, Link looked around the side of the tree that housed the Temple and recalled the ledges Midna had showed him last time he was here as a wolf. He coiled, then leapt.

* * *

Ilia sat next to Epona and Clys (her grey gelding), her mind racing. What had Link been so obsessed about in the forest? She'd find out soon enough, at least. He always told her when something was wrong.

She stood up when she heard footsteps. Link walked around the bend, an unreadable expression on his face. He tossed her his sword in its sheath. "Ready?" he said simply.

"Don't you need this?" she asked, holding up the sword to him.

He didn't answer. "Let's go."

She looked him over and noticed a different hilt peeking out from over his shoulder. "What's that?" she asked.

She'd already saddled Epona and Clys, so Link mounted Epona without a word. He patted her neck and walked her forward.

Ilia narrowed her eyes at him, then mounted her own steed. She would get the answer out of him eventually.

* * *

Link moved Epona at a walk. They didn't need to go any faster, and she needed to conserve her energy. Ilia rode her gelding slightly behind him. He fumed. What gave her the right to tag along like this? Blackmail? He needed to find Midna, and the road to that involved giving away too many close secrets.

_Wouldn't he have given them away eventually anyway?_

Perhaps. She was his best friend after all - or so he'd thought. And the existence of an alternate reality where light never quite broke wasn't such a big deal when taken into account everything that had happened. But he wasn't ready to give away any of this any time soon. With time, maybe. But not now.

He glanced back at her. She was scrutinizing him, as if his body language would answer her questions.

"Give it a rest, Ilia," he said, turning back to the road.

"What is it?" she asked impatiently. "All right, you don't have to go into all of it. Just tell me where you got that sword. Okay?"

He glared at the path through the field as Ilia rode up next to him. "The woods," he answered. But he wasn't going to say which woods.

She rolled her eyes. "The woods! I kind of figured that!"

"I answered your question," he said honestly, and half-smiled.

Ilia looked him up and down. "Alright. We can do this."

He glanced at her warily. "Do what?"

"A point system. I earn points to ask you questions that you have to answer."

Link didn't like this idea, and tried to think of a way to undermine it. "How would you get points?" he asked.

She shrugged. "Helping you? Doing what you want? You scratch my back, I scratch yours?"

He rubbed Epona's neck thoughtfully. "Solidify your idea and we might have a deal."

Ilia smiled to herself, and he worried for a moment that she would do it. But hey, is it really such a terrible idea? Yes, he answered himself. As he'd already said, he wasn't ready.

They had reached the small lake in the middle of the clearing. Ilia looked down at it and smiled. "It's so gorgeous out here," she noticed.

Link looked around, and agreed. Of course, he'd already noticed how amazing the entire kingdom was, but since then he'd been too busy running to and fro to take another glance. "You should see the Zora Domain," he found himself saying.

He felt her gaze suddenly on his side. He shouldn't have said that.

"Can we?" she asked.

He looked sternly at her. "We go where the search takes us," he answered, and looked back to the road. _Midna._ He glanced up at the blue sky and imagined the cloud of twilight shrouding it, raining its black snowflakes. Hyrule didn't need him, there wasn't anything life-threatening going on. But he needed her. He needed to be with Midna, if only for a short period of time.

"What was she like?" Ilia asked.

Link looked back at the road silently. Then he cast her a told-you-so look. "You don't have any points," he said.

She scrunched her face at him.

He smiled to himself and looked at the horizon. There was the castle. It wasn't too far.

Suddenly he heard a scratchy growl and glanced down at his surroundings. Five short, stocky Lizalfos raced toward them, and were too close to avoid. He heard Ilia gasp from behind him.

He sighed and dismounted Epona. There were only five - it wasn't like it was anything abnormal. He smirked. It wasn't abnormal to_ him, _anyway.

He drew his sword and thought about the old undead soldier that had taught him those valuable lessons. Who had that been, anyway? The old Hero of Time? He doubted it. Probably some heroic spirit that felt the need to impart his wisdom. In any case, he was glad the spirit had contacted him. The lessons were memorable.

They came at him in a group, two at the front. He sliced across, instantly beheading the both of them. The other three ran at him together, and one managed to get a hit in before he could do anything about it. He swung his arm back to perform a spin attack and dismember the three of them at once.

There was a sharp pain in his shoulder and he lost all his gathered power. He glanced across and saw an arrow protruding from his left shoulder, then managed to block an attack from one of the three.

Ilia came into his sight as she stabbed one unexpectedly. Link didn't know she had any experience with blades - he'd only thrown the Ordon sword at her so she wouldn't complain about being weaponless. Scrutinizing the attack briefly in his head, he discovered it was, after all, poorly demonstrated.

He felt a weight lifted from his back and glanced toward her as he finished a rather effective slice. She had his bow in her hands and was already aiming at an archer-monster quite a ways away. He growled internally at this, and the fact that she had thrown the other sword carelessly to the side.

There were three more coming at him from behind; he could tell from Epona's surprised whinny. He watched them running toward him and stood his ground, gathering strength. Something went on behind him, but before he could see what it was, the Lizalfos entered range. He leapt at them and swept his blade across, hitting all of them, then landed heavily on the ground with the Master Sword point-down. Some kind of energy wave shot out from him and left the three lizards to implode on the ground.

He turned around to see that Ilia had single-handedly killed the archer monster as well as two more he hadn't anticipated. He'd known Lizalfos traveled in groups, but why such a giant one? Eleven at once? Something was off about this.

Link wiped his blade on the ground, and Ilia skipped to him, beaming. "I got a point, right?" she asked.

He glanced at the sword lying on the grass a few feet away. "Maybe not," he said, and walked over to the sword to pick it up. "Why did you toss this aside?"

"I couldn't use it. I suck with swords. But I'm doing great with arrows." She held up the Hero's Bow triumphantly, then her expression changed to worry. "Link, you're hurt!" she exclaimed.

He glanced down at his shoulder, from where an arrow still protruded. He pulled it out and tossed it aside. "I'll be fine," he said.

"But you're bleeding!"

"Look," he said. The wound was all but nonexistent; only a few scratches remained.

Her eyes widened. "How did that happen?" she asked.

Link gave her back the Ordon sword. "It's a battle thing," he explained, and moved to Epona's left. He heaved himself onto her back.

Ilia narrowed her eyes at him. "What do you mean?"

He took a breath as she mounted Clys. "Battling is a bit weird. You always get hurt when you battle, but whenever you kill whatever you're battling, it's like you gain their life force to heal your wounds. It doesn't always work, and sometimes money falls out of their pockets instead." He shrugged. "Didn't you get hurt?"

They kicked their horses back into a walk. "I did," Ilia remembered, surprised. "Hmm. Life is full of circles, I guess."

Link smirked. "Oh, and that was your point."

"What?" she exclaimed. "How rude!"

He looked toward the castle. "You said, a point a question."

She exhaled. "Shoot. Well, from now on you have to tell me that before you answer, okay?"

He cast her a glance. "Deal."


	3. Ch 2: Visiting

**Chapter Two**

**Visiting**

They reached Castle Town before the end of the day, and Link quickly found a stable for Epona and Clys. Now that he wasn't in any outrageous hurry, Epona deserved to be treated well.

"What do we do here?" Ilia asked, looking around the bustling city.

Link smiled. He hadn't realized he missed this town, but he did. "We ask," he said. "But first I want to visit someone."

Ilia grinned. "Sure! Point the way!"

She was still annoying, Link pointed out to himself, but at the moment it didn't matter. He hadn't seen Telma and the others for too long.

He led Ilia south, avoiding the midday courtyard. The alley was narrow, with few people along it. The star tent was gone, as well as the three pestering fangirls that always waited for him by it. He passed by a dog that barked at him, strange little Agitha's bug castle, and the fortune-teller's shop (the obnoxious woman across the aisle was gone, however). He crossed the southernmost street of Castle Town, nodding to the Gorons selling hot springwater, and climbed down the steps to Telma's tavern.

"I remember this place," Ilia said.

Link opened the door and was assaulted by familiarity. It still had its warm glow, and glasses still clinked with murmured conversation. And Telma still worked the bar.

He walked to the bar in question, only pausing to pet her white cat along the way. Ilia sat beside him at the bar, and they glanced at each other while waiting for Telma's attention.

She turned toward them. "So, what would you -" She stopped. "Link!" she exclaimed. "Long time no see! And Ilia, the girl who brought in that poor Zora boy so long ago! Your memory's fine, I take it?"

Ilia nodded. "I remember everything," she said.

"How have you two been?"

"We're great," Link said. "We just got here from Ordon. How are the others?" Ilia glanced at him.

"Oh, they're fine," Telma assured them. "Ashei went up to the Zora Domain recently. Something about a problem. It sounded serious, actually; maybe you could lend a hand."

He nodded. "I'll be there," he said seriously, then he thought about the others. As he thought about Shad, he was surprised to find negative emotions tied to the scholar. Then he remembered why this was, and grimaced slightly, cursing at himself. He had to fix it. "What about Shad?" he asked.

"Oh, he lives here in town," Telma said. "He still visits my bar, even though the others have gone their separate ways."

"Do you know where I'd be able to find him?"

"Oh, sure," she said, waving a hand. "He's in the northern part of town. His house is kind of tucked away, but you'll find it - it's the only one with a cucco on the roof."

Link smiled. "Thanks," he said genuinely, standing up from the stool. "Thanks a lot for the help."

"You drop by anytime," she said.

Link nodded. "Of course. Ilia, do you want to stay here, or...?"

"No, it's alright, I'll tag along," Ilia answered. "No offense, Telma."

She shook her head. "None taken. I have my own duties here. Have fun!"

After their goodbyes, Link and Ilia stepped out of the bar. She turned to him eagerly. "So, who's Shad?"

"No points," he said simply.

She rolled her eyes. "Come on, I'm gonna meet him anyway."

He shrugged and climbed the steps to the southern street. "Then wait until then."

She sighed through her nose, then followed.

He led her north into the courtyard, then the north-eastern street. Here, there were a lot of houses pressed close together and all made of brick or stone. Some were decorated with flower boxes or ornate knockers, and some were scarcely decorated at all. Link kept his gaze up, looking for (and wondering why there would be) a cucco on a roof.

"There," Ilia said, pointing to a house down a western alley. It was a few stories high, comprised of grey stone and dark ironwork, and had a deep brown roof on which was perched an iron cucco. It turned slightly to the side as he looked at it.

"What is that?" he asked.

Ilia shrugged. "Decoration?" she suggested.

Link waved it off and stepped up to the door. He took a breath, then knocked sharply.

He heard something heavy thud to the ground inside, followed by a yelp and the rain-fall of more thuds. He raised an eyebrow at Ilia, then the door opened.

Shad appeared almost exactly as Link remembered him. His red hair was a bit disheveled, but he wore the same jacket and the same glasses, and the same smile. "Link!" he exclaimed, "What are you doing here? You surprised me. Oh, come in, come in!"

Link smiled at Ilia, then nodded at Shad. "Thanks," he said, and stepped into Shad's home. It was relatively small, or at least it appeared so with the bookshelves lining the walls. There was a desk covered with books, paper and a lantern, and there were some heavy-looking books scattered on the floor around it.

"Oh, who's your friend?" Shad asked when Ilia stepped through the doorway.

"This is Ilia," Link introduced. "Haven't you met her before?"

He shrugged. "I'm sorry, I have a lousy memory. It's nice to possibly re-meet you," he told her.

"Likewise," she agreed.

Shad beamed and closed the door, then turned to Link. He spied the dirty desk behind the hero and his eyes widened, then he rushed to clean it up. "I'm sorry," he said as he picked up the books from their unhealthy positions on the floor, "I was studying and making a large, structurally unsound tower of books along the way. Teaches me, right?" He chuckled to himself.

Link shifted his weight. "How's that going?" he asked.

"What my research?" His grin grew wider. "It's doing fantastic! Those statues we found, and that cannon - they're all adding up! This is the closest I've ever been to the City in the Sky."

He glanced at Ilia nervously. "Okay," he began, "Shad, there's something I should've told you a long time ago."

Shad looked at him through curious eyes. "What is it?"

He was nervous - this was a secret he'd kept for too long. "You know that legend about the City in the Sky?"

Shad rolled his eyes. "Of course I do. I've only been studying it since I learned to read."

"What if I told you it wasn't a legend?"

He paused. "What are you getting at?" he asked cautiously.

Link sighed. "There's a cannon, the same one we found actually, in Lake Hylia. It's right next to Falbi's place." He unhooked his clawshots from his belt and held them out to Shad. "And you'll need these."

Hesitantly, Shad accepted them. "What is this about?"

"Just go check out the cannon," Link advised, then looked at Ilia. "We should be on our way."

"You're not staying?" Shad asked, disappointed.

"We're looking for someone," Link told him. He thought for a second. "Ilia, can you wait for me outside?"

She opened her mouth, thought better, then rolled her eyes and went outside.

"Who are you looking for?" Shad asked.

"A friend. Shad, what do you know about portals?"

He blinked. "What do you mean, spacial, temporal, or inter-dimensional?"

Link laughed softly. "I guess that means you know a lot."

Shad smiled. "'Portal' is kind of a broad term. There can be portals to," he listed them off with his fingers, "a different place along the same timeline, or to the same place in a different point in time, or to the same place and time but in a different realm or dimension."

"How much do you know about the last one?" Link asked hopefully.

He shrugged. "They're very rare, and very hard to make. I've read about a few successful attempts, but the majority of them are gone now. There was something about a mirror that might -"

Link shook his head. "The Mirror of Twilight. That's destroyed."

Shad sighed, shaking his head. "They're always destroyed." He thought for a moment. "I think I remember reading something about some temple, a** temple of realms.** It said..." he thought for a second. "It said that all dimensional portals derive their power from the same multidimensional place."

Link raised his eyebrows. "Do you have any idea where it might be?"

"No," he said simply. "I remember looking all over the library for more information."

He nodded. "That's fine. Thanks for the help, Shad."

"No problem."

He put a hand on the door. "Remember, the cannon at Lake Hylia by Falbi's place. Bring the clawshots." He opened the door, waved goodbye, and left.


	4. Ch 3: Introductions

**Author's Note:** I almost forgot to update, except that Midna reminded me. XD By the way, I suck at chapter titles. Just thought I'd admit it now.

* * *

**Chapter Three**

**Introductions  
**

Ilia stooped down and ran her fingers through the water. "It's so beautiful," she observed.

Link took a deep breath, wishing he could enjoy the sweet, flowery smells of Lake Hylia through his better nose. He cast a glance around the vibrantly-colored valley, reminiscing. After contemplating the twittering quiet for a few moments, he offered, "Let's pay a visit to Larynu."

Ilia stood up, looking for the focus of his attention. It was a cave in the rock wall not too far away. Before she could say anything, he started to walk toward it.

The cave entrance opened up into a beautiful pond cavern. It was filled with green grass and crystal blue waters, and every little sound echoed easily through the open space. This was why they heard immediately upon entering loud splashing noises and prepubescent shouting.

Link jogged onto the outcrop overlooking Larynu's spring and looked down into the water. Three small forms fought each other while fighting to stay afloat, shouting insults at every opportunity. "Hey!" he called, but they didn't hear him.

Annoyed, Link dove headfirst into the water, then floated to the surface. He pushed the kids to shore to the best of his ability, and they didn't seem to notice him until they felt solid ground beneath their feet. Even then, however, their fighting continued until he physically pulled the three apart.

They stood panting, and Ilia walked up behind them. There were two young boys, a tall, lanky one and a short, squat one. Separated from them was a girl, with long, brown hair and a stern look in her eyes. They wore simple woolen clothing, which was now soaked through, and appeared Hylian. They glared at each other.

"Settle down, now," Link said. "What's going on?"

"Him!" the lanky one insisted, pointing at the other boy. "It's all his fault!"

"Was not!" the short one protested.

"Was too!"

"Shut up!" the girl said, hands on her hips. "Obviously none of us did it."

"Did what?" Link asked, then shook his head. "Never mind. Where do you live? Where are your parents?"

"Parents?" the short one asked incredulously, and laughed. "That's a good one."

"He's trying to help us, and you're not cooperating," the girl told him. She turned to Link. "We're really far from home. Where is this?."

"You're in Lake Hylia," he told them. "I can bring you home; just tell me where you live."

"I've never heard of Lake Hylia," the lanky one told the others. "And unlike some people here, I was paying attention in geography."

"We never took geography, moron!" the girl shouted. "We've never even been to school!"

"Have too!"

"Have not!"

The kids struggled against Link's grasp. He gestured to Ilia to grab hold of the girl, and, after a moment of realization, she did.

"Kids, I need your help. Where do you live?"

The girl crossed her arms. "You've never heard of it. We don't have parents. We don't need them. We only need each other."

"There's something I'm forgetting," the short one said. "What am I forgetting?"

"Shut up," she told him. To Link, she said, "We don't know where we are, but we don't need to go anywhere."

"Yes, we need to get back home!" the lanky one shouted.

"Obviously, that's not going to happen!" she shouted back, then turned to Ilia. "You can let me go now, I'm not going to attack them."

Link stood up, and nodded at Ilia. She released the girl. "What are your names?" he asked.

"I'm -" the short one started, then the girl grabbed him and the three of them bent into a huddle. Link glanced at Ilia.

They finished talking and broke apart, sniggering slightly, then the girl spoke confidently. "I'm Sasha."

"I'm Ben," the short one supplied.

"And I'm Jordan," the lanky one finished.

Link looked at them warily. They had lied about their names, probably. But why? "Why are you here?" he asked instead.

They looked between each other. "We don't know," Jordan answered.

"We appeared here," Ben said, scratching his curly head.

"Right on top of that thing." Sasha pointed at the outcropping.

"But we don't need your help," Jordan continued. "We can do fine on our own. We were having a -"

"Disagreement," Sasha finished.

Jordan and Ben sniggered. "Yeah, disagreement," Ben agreed.

"We're good now. Let's go." She led the other two out of the cave.

Link glanced at Ilia. "What do you think?" he asked her. "Should we go after them?"

"Well, where do they live? What are we supposed to do with them?"

He shrugged. "Protect them. Find them shelter. Maybe bring them to Renado's place."

She nodded. "I think -"

She was interrupted by three short, simultaneous screams.

Both of them turned and rushed immediately to the source of the sound. Just outside the entrance of the cave, the three wool-garbed children stood together, looking up at the thing blocking their path.

It was big, and a deep blue. If a Zora was a fish, then this creature was a whale - it had huge, thick limbs protruding from its torso, and fins appearing on each one. It had long tendrils where its fingers ought to have been, and its head was oval-shaped. Its face was flat, but was mostly taken up by two huge, black eyes. It stood on four snaky tentacles.

Link drew his sword and stepped beside the children. He stood, prepared to attack if it made a move. Ilia stood with an arrow nocked in her bow. It stared at them, its only movement a shift in its chest while it breathed, and the slight blinking of its dark eyes.

Then, it moved - but all the hero saw was the slight twitching of its arm before he lost consciousness.

* * *

A man stumbled into Hyrule Castle, wearing a tattered soldier's tunic. He was badly bandaged, bruised and bleeding, with grime covering his face and his curly, dark hair, but he pushed on through the corridors until he found the throne room.

"Princess!" he shouted upon arrival. Princess Zelda stood up from her throne, and a servant slipped from the side to aid him. "Princess, I bring urgent news!"

She stepped down and moved toward him. "Then speak it, soldier."

"It's General Roudolf," he panted.

She stopped. "What of him? What is this about?"

"He's gone completely mad! He murdered -" he gaped for a moment, and let in a deep breath - "He murdered the whole regiment!"

"What?" Zelda breathed.

"He was fast, faster than I've ever seen him move. He'd decapitated half the camp before we woke up, including Lieutenant Thompson. And he was_ strong,_ Princess!"

"How do you mean, mad? Is he diseased?"

He shook his head. "I know not. The General sustained in battle, defeating six of his own men in armed combat. It was only by cowardice that I survived; I abandoned my friends and comrades for safe ground."

"This is terrible news," the Princess said softly. She blinked and looked firmly at him. "Soldier, what is your name?"

"Jalko," he breathed.

"Jalko, do you know where General Roudolf is now?"

He shook his head fiercely, then winced in pain. "We were in the foothills, by the Eldarin province, when this happened." He leaned heavily on the servant, who stumbled under his weight. "I saw him heading south, leaving his pile of carnage behind him. He was badly injured."

Zelda stood for a few moments in thought. "See to a doctor, Jalko. General Roudolf is now a threat to all of Hyrule, and will be treated as such. The Crown thanks you for your help."

He nodded, and the servant, groaning, helped him to the royal doctor, closing the door behind him.

"Alguia?" she asked, and a woman stepped out from behind the throne. Zelda turned to her. "Assemble our best warriors and trackers. I will speak with them tomorrow."

The woman bowed and walked away.

The Princess stood by herself in the huge, imposing room for a few moments. Roudolf. She fell to her knees on the soft carpet. She'd thought she'd found her soulmate - a good man and a great leader, it was so unlike him to - he must be possessed, or under the influence of some spell. But he might have to be sacrificed before the spell causes Hyrule any more pain.

A tear escaped her eye.

"Princess?" a familiar voice asked. Zelda looked up and saw her personal chambermaid, Larisse, walking calmly toward her.

She paused, looking sullenly at the floor. "I love him, Larisse," she whispered.

Larisse helped Zelda to her feet. "I know," the woman said, and put her hand on Zelda's back. "I know."

Zelda lingered her gaze on Larisse for a moment, then turned away. She had things to plan.

* * *

Jalko sat at his favorite bar. He'd gotten away from the doctor as soon as he could, feeling better but covered in bandages, and rushed for Telma's little-known hideaway, instantly ordering. He'd heard that Zelda had gathered the best and bravest fighters, and he shook his head dispassionately.

"It wouldn't be enough," he said, and swallowed another mouthful. "He's better than the best. It's _supernatural,_ the way he moves." He shuddered. "I wonder what could have happened to him."

"I don't know. Who are we talking about?" the man sitting beside him asked.

Jalko ignored him. "We need a hero," he said. "Someone who can fight like a monster, think like a..." he faltered. "We need the Hero of Time is what we need," he finished dully, looking at his glass.

"Say, what was that about Link?" the man beside him interjected again.

Jalko didn't ignore him this time. "Who?"

"You know, Link," he answered. "The guy we helped defeat Ganandorf last year."

He stopped. He'd thought only a trusted few had known about Ganandorf (but then again, the secret _had_ leaked all the way out to Jalko). "Who are you?"

"My name's Shad," he greeted. "You are?"

"Jalko." They shook hands.

"If you're looking for a hero, you're looking for Link," Shad continued, and sighed. "I don't know how that boy does it."

"Does what?" he asked, interested. "Who is this Link?"

Shad shrugged and looked into his drink. "He can do anything. Solve a centuries-old enigma, for example." He put something on the bar beside him; they were two claw-shaped contraptions. "Gave these to me," he said drunkenly, staring at them. "Said they'd help me get to the City in the Sky." He shook his head. "Thing is, I believe him."

"You say Link's fought monsters?" Jalko prompted.

"Oh, yeah. Worst of the worst. If it can be killed, Link can kill it." He paused. "And even if it can't."

Jalko's mind raced. What if this Link kid could stop - or save - General Roudolf? "Where can I find him?"

Shad let out a loud, sharp laugh. "Hell if I know."

Telma, the bar tender and owner, stepped up to them to refill upon request Shad's empty glass. "You talking about Link?" she asked.

"Do you know where he is?" Jalko asked eagerly.

"Sure. He went up to the Zora's Domain. Something about some problem he's helping Ashei with up there."

The soldier stood up quickly. "Thank you, Telma, thank you!" he said, and hurried out of the bar, wincing at the pain this sharp movement caused.


	5. Ch 4: Key

**Author's Note:** Sorry about the delay. It's gonna be a bit slower after this. Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 4**

**Key  
**

Link opened his eyes groggily, saw a stone ceiling above him, and felt a cold floor below him. He quickly looked at himself - yes, he was still Hylian. He sat up on the stone floor and looked around.

He was in a large, stone room, with iron bars compromising one of the walls - it reminded him of the dungeon in Hyrule Castle he'd found himself in as a wolf, only bigger. He saw his things lying on the ground across the hall on the other side of the bars, and, closer, Ilia and the three kids unconscious in the same cell.

He heaved himself to his feet and stumbled, his head throbbing. He saw white for a moment. "Ilia?" he said, and kneeled next to her. He shook her lightly.

She groaned and turned toward him. "Link?"

He let out a long sigh of relief. "Ilia, are you hurt?"

"No." She sat up and looked at him. "Do I get a point?"

"Well, you didn't really do anything," Link told her. "Let's try to figure out where we are."

He helped her up and they walked to the iron bars. Link tried to peer down the hall. "We're not in Hyrule Castle," he observed, "the masonry is different. And it doesn't smell like a sewer."

Ilia cast him a glance, then shook her head. "Then where would you guess we are?" she asked.

He thought for a while. The air was thick, cold and wet, and tinted with the odd quirk of mold. The door at the end of the hallway was a beige metal with a silver swirl in the center. "It kind of reminds me of the Lakebed Temple under Lake Hylia," he offered. "But obviously we didn't swim down 150 feet, so I'm sure that's not the case."

They heard soft moans from behind them, and turned around to see the three kids waking up. Ilia knelt by them as they stirred. "Is everyone alright?" she asked.

Sasha woke first, opening her eyes to Ilia's kind face. "I'm fine," she said strongly, narrowing her eyes, then turned to wake up the other two. Ilia glanced back up at Link, who shrugged.

"Wake up, you sleepyheads," Sasha said, and shook the two boys. They opened their eyes simultaneously.

"Where is this?" Ben asked.

"I like it," Jordan said, smiling as he got up.

Sasha smacked him on the arm. "We gotta get _out_ of here, nimrod."

"Why?"

"Obviously, we're captured. And being captured stinks."

"You can't have any fun on this side of the bars," Ben helped, glaring at Sasha.

They heard the metal door creak open, and fell silent. Five pairs of eyes landed on the Zora walking toward them.

He was old, his blue scales sagging slightly on his lean frame. His fins were strong but worn, defined by the wrinkles in their skins. He looked over the prisoners, emanating a feeling of certainty, and a calculating look in his eye.

"Why have you captured us?" Link asked in a strong voice, moving to the bars so he stood less than a foot away from the Zora. "What wrong have we done you?"

The Zora looked at him, his blue eyes tainted slightly by confusion. "Nothing," he said hesitantly, with a voice like an old, wet bridge; seemingly about to fall apart but still standing strong. "You've done absolutely nothing wrong." All traces of confusion vanished. "Well, nothing you can control, anyway."

"What do you mean?"

He paused. "What do you know of the** key of realms**, hero?"

Link thought, but didn't break eye contact. "I've never heard of it," he concluded.

"Really?" the Zora asked. "Reincarnation of the legendary Hero of Time himself and you don't know of the **wall that separates **our world from others?"

"What do you mean, reincarnation?" Ilia asked, stepping forward. She glanced at Link and saw that he was just as confused as she was.

He let out a small chuckle, and looked at the other three prisoners, who didn't seem to mind. "There is a key," he said, and looked back to Link and Ilia. "A key that can be used across dimensions. I'm not sure what it unlocks - yet." He smiled, almost hungrily. "It's very exciting," he added.

"What is?" Link asked warily.

"This key is connected to that wall between worlds. It... affects people."

Link glared at the aged Zora. "Your people are a peaceful race. Why are you doing this to us?"

He blinked. "You judge by your eyes and not by your mind," he told Link. "I am no Zora."

Ilia looked him over. "But -"

"I was," he explained, "before I let the key's connection to the wall consume me. I connected - and, according to my studies, somewhat fused - with a creature from another world. An intelligent creature whose knowledge and curiosity about the world overwhelmed my own." His fingers curled as he paused in thought. "No, I am no longer part of that race. I am something new - and I _will_ know the world's secrets."

He looked across the cell, inspecting each prisoner in turn. "I think we'll start with..." he smiled. "Hero."

The whale-Zora-thing slid into the room, saying nothing but staring at them with its huge, black eyes. It opened the cell door, and flinched - and the next second, it had Link firmly in its grasp and the door shut tight.

The Ordonian struggled against the whale-Zora's grasp, but his hands were pinned to his sides under the creature's tendril-like fingers. He glared at the non-Zora, who cast a final glance to the other four before nodding at the metal door.

"Can I at least know your name?" Link shouted at him, finding it difficult to find enough air. The creature holding him opened the door and walked through it.

The next room was big - probably about twice the size of the cell he'd just come from. Each wall was lined with doors, and the heavy air only smelled more like mold. The non-Zora, walking with his hands held behind his back, looked up at him calmly. "I am just a scientist, and you will call me as such."

A door marked 'lab' led to a room bigger than all he'd seen there put together; it was too tall for him to see, and the stone walls were only distant, cold images. The floor was littered with tables that were littered with odd devices and lots of papers. Towards the middle of the room was a raised platform on which sat a small, black box, and to the right of that were some odd chair-looking machines. Most of them were empty, but -

"Ashei!" Link exclaimed, struggling even harder against the creature holding him. She sat in one of the chair-things, unconscious, with blisters where she was bound on her arms. She wasn't wearing the armor he'd remembered her in, instead a simple tunic covered her frame. She looked helpless and weak, directly opposite from the last time he'd seen her.

"Oh, you know her?" the scientist asked, as the whale-Zora strapped Link into a chair. "Yes, we captured her before she could get too much to the Prince. She's too close, you see."

Link struggled against the restraints, but they'd been put on too fast for it to have any effect.

The scientist smiled at him. "I wonder, I wonder," he said to himself. "Oh, yes, I wonder. This will be most exciting." He turned away and moved to the black box.

"I will stop you," Link told him. "Your torturous schemes will be brought to an end!"

"Oh, I'm sure," the scientist said sarcastically, walking back toward him. "But first let's see what the key has to say about that." He began to lift the box's black lid.

Link flinched away from the flash of light that appeared in the increasing gap, but it was only there for a second. Nestled in the black velvet lining the box was, quite obviously, a key - it was about the size and shape of a normal brass key, but it was covered in moving blue and purple patterns.

"I know, I know. It doesn't seem very assuming, does it?" He brought it closer to Link, so that the restrained hero could look at it more closely. "I can feel the link this key has to other worlds. I can feel the wall between one and another weaken. Can't you feel it, Link?" He took a deep breath. "Well, that's all very well. You will."

The scientist took the key from its place in the box and placed it in a nook Link couldn't see, just above his forehead. He felt weak, as though he'd been out in the sun for hours without water.

Another Zora ran into the huge room, panting. She gripped the doorframe, looking desperately at the scientist. "There's a problem," she said between gasps. "It's some kind of Hyrulian soldier."

"What do you mean, 'problem'?" the Zora scientist barked irritatedly.

"He's fighting, sir, and he's strong, even though he appears heavily bandaged. He's wounded his captor and he's on the loose."

"On the _loose?"_ He growled, then pushed past the Zora and into the next room. She watched him for a while, glanced at Link, then followed.

Link struggled against his restraints to the best of his ability - but he felt weak and tired, due, he supposed, to his exposure to this mysterious key. The restraints around his legs and wrists were cloth; he should be able to cut through them. With what, though?

He felt like he sat there for hours, writhing under the heat of the key hidden just out of his sight, struggling as much as he could against his restraints. He opened his eyes and saw thin, hairline cracks in the world, and a sheet of white; he saw, for only a moment, a thick, dark, nightmare sky, then a fire and a plume of smoke, directly above him in the lab, but they were gone just as quickly. He let out a yelp of pain, and it sounded slightly more like a dog's yelp than his own. His blood pounded through his veins as he struggled to find an escape.

He shook, lifted, pushed and pulled, and - his hand fit through the restraint! He could pull it out! He was sure this wasn't right, but decided not to look into it at the moment. Instead, he pulled his other hand out of its restraint and pressed against the one on his forehead - it cut without too much delay.

Link sat up in his chair-thing and sat still, panting for a few moments. His head felt like it was buzzing. He was still very aware of the key's presence behind him, but at the moment something was still bugging him - he looked at his hands, and gasped. They looked small and semi-Hylian, as if they were caught halfway between that and wolf.

After a few moments of forced acceptance, he used their small, sharp claws to cut through the restraints on his legs, then turned around to see the key thing hooked into what looked like a mechanical helmet. He grasped it as well as he could and pushed himself out of the chair.

He fell to the ground instead of landing on his feet as he'd expected. The world disappeared for a moment, shrouded in white. Pain seared through his shoulder. "This is great," he muttered, and rolled onto his front, with his hands and knees in front of him. He grabbed the fallen key as he brought himself to his feet.

When he was finally upright, Link let out a long sigh. He looked for the black box the key had been kept in, and saw something else in front of his face - what was that? He put his hand against it. Oh, no - he had a slight muzzle.

He found the black box and shoved the key into it, closing it as quickly as he could, hoping that this cancelled its effects somehow. Then he looked over to Ashei, who was still unconscious in her chair. Unsure of when the scientist would be back, he made short work of her restraints and brought her into his thin, half-Hylian arms.

He stumbled under her weight, and the world turned white again. He felt weak and frail, as if the key had sucked out all of his strength. He ignored this, insisting that it was all in his head and his strength really was there - it worked, for the most part, and he managed to get her out of the lab and into the cage-room across the way.

"Link!" Ilia exclaimed, running to the bars when she saw him enter. She balked after the initial shock of seeing his change and asked, "Who is that? What happened to you?"

Link shook his head. "No time." He put Ashei down on the floor, trying not to drop her, then glanced at the lock on the cage. After a moment's hesitation, he put a claw in the lock and worked quickly.

"What are you doing?" Ilia asked. "When did you get claws?"

He swung the door open. "Get your stuff." He shoved the black box into her arms before reaching for his own things. "Don't open that."

"What is this?" She turned over the box in her hands.

He turned to her, his sheath gripped in his half-Hylian hands. "Ilia, I don't have time and you don't have points. I don't know when that scientist will be back but we must work quickly, quietly and without delay."

She nodded. "You're right," she said, and gathered her things.

The three kids ran out the cage door and toward the end of the hall without a word.

"Hey!" Link called after them, "Stay with us! You'll get lost out there!"

With a light snicker, they were gone.

The hero cursed under his breath and finished equipping himself, then picked up Ashei from the floor. He stumbled again, and took a deep breath.

"Link, are you alright?" Ilia asked, putting a hand on his arm.

He shook his head. "I'm fine. It's that key thing, I feel like it drained my energy."

"Maybe you shouldn't -"

"We have to get out of here, Ilia. We have to escape and we have to rescue those kids who don't know what they're doing." With that, he moved to the door and opened it.

"Okay," Ilia said, watching him as if he were about to collapse as she followed him into the room full of doors. "So, where are we going?"

He nodded toward an open door on the left side of the room. "Looks like the kids went that way," he said, and adjusted his grip on Ashei. "This isn't gonna be easy," he muttered to himself, and went after them.


	6. Ch 5: Escape

**Author's Note:** Sorry about the long wait. Don't worry about this story; I am committed to finishing it. If I can't finish this I can't do anything, and that would be sad. So, if I'm taking a long time, either wait patiently or PM me about it. Chances are, if I haven't updated in a week, I either forgot about it or am waiting for my beta.

**Author's Second Note: **I KEEP FORGETTING TO TELL YOU ABOUT MY BETA! Her name is Miache. She's AMAZING. This chapter utterly sucked before she pointed out something vital to me.

* * *

**Chapter Five**

**Escape**

Link and Ilia finally found the kids after following three open doorways. They stood at the edge of a stone-tiled balcony overlooking a huge room, twice the size of the scientist's lab. It was filled with all sorts of equipment and all sorts of creatures, from Gorons to Zoras to Hylians. They seemed to be having some kind of meeting.

"Let's get out of here," he whispered to the kids, trying desperately not to be heard by the creatures below.

The girl, Sasha, whipped her head around and eyed the hero. "Are you kidding?" she whispered back. "This kind of conspiratorial plot is exactly what we should be getting into." She turned back to the huddle of kids kneeling next to the bars.

"Maybe we could mess it up," Ben suggested.

Jordan laughed silently. "They would hate to find their sacrifice prematurely diced."

"Dice the sacrifice?" Sasha asked. "Are you kidding? Where's the fun in that?"

"It rhymes!" Ben insisted.

"Sacrifice?" Ilia asked. "What sacrifice?"

"We heard them talking about one," Jordan replied, not looking away from the meeting below. "We're not sure what it means, but it seems pretty important to whatever it is they're doing." He paused. "Maybe we could kidnap it."

"Maybe," Sasha agreed. "Where do you think it is?"

"Well if you'd just shut up for a little bit we might be able to find out."

Link shook his head. "Look, we're not going to kidnap anyone. Now, try to keep silent and we'll get out of here."

"You do what you want," the girl said. "We're gonna stay here and wreak some havoc for a while."

"It's what we do," Ben said.

Link turned from the three young backs and looked across at Ilia exasperatedly. "What do you think?" he asked.

"There's a question?" Ilia whispered fiercely. "We're taking them with us. They're kids, they don't know what they're doing." Her brows furrowed. "Whatever was wrong with you is getting better."

"It is?" He reached up and felt his face; his muzzle was shrinking. His claws were shorter and his hands looked more natural. "Thank the goddesses."

"What was that, anyway?"

He glared at her. "Now is not the time for that. Let's get these kids out of here."

The three looked back simultaneously. "We're not going," Jordan repeated.

"We don't have time," Link repeated. "Especially not to argue, and especially not here. Let's go."

"But if we leave, we might miss something important," Sasha complained.

"Uh, Sh-, Sasha," Ben said, reaching blindly for her as he watched the scene below, "You might want to not do that."

"What?" She turned angrily to him.

He pointed below.

Sasha, Link and Ilia turned their attention to the meeting. All of the beings had their eyes trained on them.

"You done?" a Hylian woman with red hair, green eyes and sharp facial features asked.

"Run," Link suggested, and the five of them turned and fled through the doorway behind them.

He could barely keep up with them, bearing a very heavy soldier across his shoulders, not that he'd ever admit this to the soldier herself. At least his strength was returning to him - the less time he spent around that key, the better.

It wasn't long before they heard the shouts of pursuit. They turned right down a corridor. This place was huge and confusing, and every hallway was the same, tiled with stone and roofed with rock. Every closed door had the same silver swirl in the center. Link didn't know who was leading, but they seemed to know where to go, or at least where not to go.

"Stop!" Sasha cried out, and all four of them nearly crashed into her.

"What is it?" Link asked. "Every moment we spend still is a moment they gain on us."

She peered around the corner. They were at another one of those huge rooms with all the doors - or perhaps it was the same one. There was no way to tell. Either way, it was empty.

"Where are you going?" he asked when she didn't respond.

"I have a good nose for treasure," she explained, and walked in. "This way."

They followed her through another doorway, and closed it behind them. "I don't think they saw us come in here," Ilia said. "But that doesn't mean they won't find us."

"Here it is!" Sasha exclaimed delightedly.

They were in a small room, with a low ceiling and stuffy air. On the opposite side of the cavelike enclosure was a chest. Sighing, Link set Ashei on the floor against the wall and went up to it.

"What is that?" Ilia asked, peering over Link's shoulder.

He pulled out a roll of parchment. "It's a map," he declared.

She narrowed her eyes. "What's it doing in a chest sitting in a random little room?"

"I have no idea," he answered, rolling it out. "That's just where people like to keep maps."

It didn't take long for him to plan an exit, all four of his followers studying the parchment along with him. When he was done, he rolled it up and handed it to Ilia to put in her bag.

"Nnh," Ashei grunted.

Link and Ilia immediately knelt next to her. "Ashei," the hero said briskly, "You awake? Can you hear me?"

"Nyeah, yeah," she answered groggily, squinting. "Awful bright out."

"Can you remember anything?" Ilia asked.

"Kind of a question is that?" Ashei adjusted herself against the wall, her head rolling slightly. "'Course I remember. There was --" she gripped her head. "A fire. No, hang on. Sorry. They kidnapped me." She gritted her teeth. "Bloody bastards."

"Here, I'll help you up," Link offered. He wrapped Ashei's arm around his shoulders and supported her as she rose from the ground.

"We should get out of here," Ilia said. "They'll probably look in here soon."

"I don't know, this is tricky," he replied worriedly. "They might be out there right now. There are way too many of them for me to fight."

"How about up there?" Ashei pointed at the ceiling from where she still leaned on Link.

Link and Ilia followed her line of sight and saw an opening in the stone ceiling. A short search discovered a ladder hidden behind a crevice that seemed to hide in plain sight, blending in with the wall behind it.

"Can you climb that?" Link asked Ashei.

She blinked and focused on something internal, lifting much of her weight from the hero. Soon their only contact was her fingertips on his shoulder. "Yeah, I got it," she said, and gripped the wall, relieving the last of her weight.

He nodded. "Alright. I'll go up first. Then Ashei, the kids, and Ilia, you keep an eye on the rear."

Ben and Jordan snickered. Sasha whacked them promptly on the head.

The ladder was old, but strong, like almost every other one he'd encountered on his travels. It easily supported all their weight as they climbed to the ceiling, then through the tunnel above, which seemed to be about twice Link's height. It was fastened to the rock wall with some kind of metal hoop every other rung.

At the top was a round cavern. This was less developed than the hallways they'd just left, consisting mainly of coarsely-carved, dark blue rock. He heard a drip somewhere, and what appeared to be a shallow pool of water took up a good portion of the floor. The air was colder and wetter than before. At least there didn't seem to be any monsters here.

Link drew his sword and stepped toward an opening in the wall close to the other side of the room. From the side view, all he could see was that there was a bright light emitting through it, which could be good or bad.

Grunts and shuffles told him that the others were close behind. "Any monsters?" he heard Ilia call.

"No," he called back. "Doesn't look like it, but that doesn't mean they're not close."

She pulled herself into the cavern, and her eyes lit up when she spied the pool. "Water!" she exclaimed. "Mind if we stop for a sip?"

He turned and eyed the water for a moment, then, "Sure. That's a good idea."

Ilia excitedly bent down to the water's surface, cupped her hands, and drank greedily. The others followed her suit quickly, and Link knelt by the pool to fill a jar. After a few moments, Ben splashed Jordan. In quick retaliation, Jordan splashed back and hit both Ben and Sasha. Soon there was a water war, and it wasn't long before Ilia was involved. She cupped her hands and sent projectile water to both Ashei and Link.

"Hold on, stop that, stop that," Ashei said hastily, and the noisily splashing water subsided. She and Link froze, listening for enemies in pursuit.

After a few moments of silence, she drew her sword and walked to the opening, peering around the corner. "It's clear," she said, and sighed. "All very well. They probably would've sent for the bloody Monster Brigade had they heard you lot clamorin' around like that."

"Does she always talk like that?" Ilia whispered to Link.

He shook his head. "She has a point. Be careful. A simple sneeze can mean the difference between life and death."

"Yeah, maybe if your head explodes," Jordan snickered.

Link shot him a look and he kept quiet, but didn't wipe the smirk from his face. The hero drew his own sword and walked to the opening. "Let's go," he said, and walked through it.

It was another tunnel, just as cold and humid as the cavern they'd just left. It seemed to be carved of the same rock, haphazardly, with torches nailed to the wall as an afterthought. It narrowed down to a crawling space farther ahead, and Link sheathed his sword to investigate, worming between the uncomfortable, lumpy walls of rock.

The tunnel ended in a simple opening, a rough cut in the exterior of a wall, which lined a big, empty room of the previous beige design with two chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. The floor below was far enough away so that he could jump down to it without injury, but that once he did he wouldn't be able to reach this tunnel again.

He backed up a little - not an easy task - when he saw someone in the room below. He turned to shush his crowd of followers, and tried to watch the scene silently.

A Hyrulian soldier ran into the room, limping visibly and gripping a sword as if waiting for an attack. This wasn't far behind; the whale-Zora-thing zipped in front of him. From his vantage point in the wall, Link saw that it wasn't a disappearing-reappearing trick but simply very, very fast movement. The solder lifted his sword and made a good attempt at attack, but the thing was too fast and moved out of the way. From the Hyrulian's side it swiped with its tentacle-hand, which the soldier sliced with his sword. Two of its tentacles were sliced clean off, to which it responded with a roar of pain. The soldier used this opening to stab at the creature's chest, but it dodged and grabbed the sword, pulling it easily from his grasp and tossing it across the room. The soldier, not giving up, attempted to twist the creature's arm, but the only result of this was to be grasped in the thing's rocklike embrace, struggling pointlessly.

The scientist walked in from the same doorway, hands clasped behind his back. He looked the soldier up and down, scanning him with his blue eyes. "I think it's rather startling you've gotten that far with all those injuries," he commented.

"It gets easier," the soldier responded. He had bandages on his arm and chest, a black eye, and a deep scratch down his right leg. Bloodstain seemed more like a fashion choice then unfortunate condition in his case, with the red tint surmising most of his white tunic.

The scientist smiled minutely. "And, I must say, I do have a kind of respect for the way you managed to not only escape but also steal one of our prized assets."

He shrugged as well as he could. "I try," he said offhandedly.

The Zora walked up to the soldier, who was unable to do much more than glare. "Such a shame you have to return it." With that, he grabbed something in or near the soldier's hand and ripped it away from him. "Take him to the key room with the Hero," he told the creature, who nodded and turned away from the scientist.

Link took this as his cue. There was a handle just below the tunnel opening, so he pushed himself slightly out, grasped it with both hands and swung from the opening until his back hit the wall. He then dropped to the floor and drew the Master Sword. "Let him go," he demanded, "Or I will force you to."

Both the Zora scientist and his guard-creature stopped and turned to him. "Two surprises in one night!" the scientist exclaimed. "Quite a day indeed. Link, do you honestly think yourself a threat to us?"

He took a few steps forward. "You're the one who called me a hero. You tell me."

The scientist and his guard shared and uncertain glance. The soldier took this opportunity to lunge out of the creature's hands for the sword. Surprised, it moved to chase after him, but he already had the sword pointed at it. Link, now in a matching position to the soldier, moved next to him.

"Get them!" the scientist shouted at the whale-Zora. It ran toward them and Link and the soldier attacked.

The soldier stabbed, and it seemed to disappear, then appear just to the right of his blade. When Link swung, it went to the left. It appeared behind the soldier and Link managed to swing above the Hylian's head and make contact with the aggressor, but it didn't do much damage; his Master Sword hardly pierced the creature's scalp.

It reached and grabbed Link by his arm, but the soldier attacked and hit its side; the impact was a lot greater than the Ordonian's attack on its head. It let out a kind of howl and red blood ran down its side. Link easily wrenched out of its grasp and stabbed at its chest, but it disappeared away.

Now he was facing the tunnel-wall, and saw Ilia standing alone under the tunnel's opening. She aimed an arrow, looking at a place behind them. He and the soldier shared a glance, then spun around in opposite directions and hit the creature from each side at the same time; surprised, it didn't disappear in time, and the blades went deep. Ilia let loose the arrow and it landed in the creature's chest.

Link pulled out his sword, and the soldier did the same. It stumbled for a few moments, then keeled over and landed with a _thump_ on the ground. They both looked up at the scientist.

He backed away slightly, his blue hands raised. "Alright, now, there's no need for any more violence."

"You've been torturing people," Link said, "For your own amusement." They raised their bloody swords to point at him.

"No, not for my own amusement. It was for knowledge. For science! Don't you want to know more about how the world works?"

He shook his head. "Not at that cost."

Ashei moved silently behind the scientist, her sword drawn.

"It's a key, Link - it's a key to, I don't know, some other dimension! Some other world! Maybe lots of others! We could begin trade, gain knowledge and technology, think of the profits we can make from this!" he begged, clasping his hands together.

Link and the soldier advanced. "Profits?" the soldier asked. "Lives are at stake and all you're thinking about is a pocketful of Rupees?"

"Oh, come on! Like you've never wanted to be rich?" His small eyes darted between the two. "Think about it, the knowledge, the money, the power - you could be at the top of the world! You could be at the top of any world, all worlds! If you help me, that is."

"What's keeping me from impaling you right now?" he continued.

The scientist smiled. "Well, for one -"

Suddenly, Ashei's sword tore through the scientist's flesh. He looked at it, surprised, as it protruded from the left side of his chest. She withdrew it and confirmed her kill with a strong, decapitating swipe from the side. He fell and imploded on the ground.

"I got there first," she finished.

Link, Ilia, and the solder breathed a short, silent sigh of relief, hearts still beating fiercely. Ashei gripped her sword, with a steely look at something behind the two. They turned around to see the whale-Zora getting back to its feet, glaring at them with an untold hatred. It was clear that, this round, it wouldn't be so lenient about ferocity.

With a_ chink, _a chandelier fell from the ceiling. It crashed directly onto the creature with a loud, gruesome sound, and he imploded. The three kids jumped off of it and high-fived each other, laughing openly and incessantly.

"Who _are _those brats, anyway?" Ashei asked, eying them warily.

"I have no idea," Link answered honestly.


	7. Ch 6: Cave

**Author's Note:** Again, sorry it's been a while. MANNY thanks to Miache. I've said this before, but I do NOT thank her enough. She's amazing. X3

* * *

**Chapter Six**

**Cave  
**

The first exit they found turned out to be a doorway on the face of a steep stone wall, with a two-foot-wide walkway before it. Below, a river gushed past, babbling and splashing through its underground passage. Link pressed himself against the wall, motioning for others to do the same, and sidled along to a wider platform farther down the cliff.

A good twenty minutes passed in silence, and when they reached the platform, Ilia and the kids slumped to the ground, panting. Ashei stood and looked the soldier in the eye. "Who are you?" she asked solidly.

"My name is Jalko," he answered. He looked better than he had before the battle; his face was clean and he walked without a limp. He breathed a bit heavily but stood straight and tall.

"We should keep moving," Link said. "They could still be following us."

After a pause, the kids and Ilia reluctantly moved to their feet, and Link led them along the cliff. He noticed that the water rushed toward them, and so he knew they were headed north toward the Zora Domain, but he wasn't sure until an hour later just where along the path they were. They climbed over wooden structures and ducked around stone outcroppings, putting as much distance as they could between them and their possible pursuers.

"I'm hungry," Ben complained.

"It is starting to get dark out," Jalko observed. "Time to find a place to camp?"

Link nodded. "You're right." He observed the path ahead, scrutinizing the wall for shelter. Then his eyes lightened. "This looks promising," he said, and looked inside a cave in the cliff face.

It was dark in this cave; what light streamed through the entrance didn't make it very far into the rocky enclosure. It seemed to stretch back endlessly beyond the wall of shadow.

"Let's rest here," he said, "near the entrance. We can take turns keeping watch during the night."

"What about food?" Ilia asked as she set down her bag.

"You have some deku nuts, don't you?" he asked her.

"I think so." She opened her satchel and dug through it.

"I have some rations," Jalko helped.

* * *

Link sat by the entrance with the soldier, looking out at the cliffside path and the river below.

"Who are you?" Link asked bluntly, cracking open a deku nut.

"My name is Jalko," he repeated. "I set out in search of you."

Link looked up. "Me?"

He nodded. "Yes. Word had reached me of your - talents, and I am in desperate need of you."

The hero clenched his fist, cracking open another shell inadvertently. "Does _everyone _know of me? Did the Princess put out a public _notice? _'Link, the Hero of Twilight! Here's a portrait!'" He bit into the nut angrily.

Jalko paused. "I need you," he said. "There is a monster -"

"I'm sorry, but I am in need of no quest. I have been distracted once from it, and wish not to again."

He turned toward the hero. "I must implore you, Link. This is a creature our best men have failed to destroy. Last I saw, it headed south - it could be lost in the Faron Woods. We could -"

"Did you say," Link interrupted worriedly, "there's a horrible beast moving through the Faron Woods?"

Jalko nodded. "Yes, I saw it go that way. Why?"

Link put a hand to his head. Some terrible monster was within a half hour's walk from Ordon. They were all in danger, and he was about to simply ignore it. Why? Because he was looking for a lost love, a woman safe in her own dimension and who probably wouldn't want him to visit anyway. If it wasn't Ordon, the demon would have been somewhere else, another town with its share of loved ones in danger that he would have ignored. "Of course," he said, "of _course_ I'll help you. I can't believe I could be so stupid."

The soldier grinned. "Thank you! Thank you so much. You won't believe how relieved I am."

"What is the nature of this monster?"

"It is my leader, General Roudolf. He is faster than - what's that?"

"What's what?"

Jalko motioned to Link's shoulder. "Your sword."

Link drew the Master Sword - it was gleaming slightly, lighting the dark cave. "It's the hour of twilight," he mumbled softly. He imagined he could feel the barrier between himself and Midna weaken, and smiled to himself.

"Sorry?"

He looked over at Jalko. "Oh. Nothing. The Light Sword is just..." he trailed off, then sheathed it. "What were you saying about the monster?"

Jalko decided not to press, and continued his description.

* * *

Ilia sat with Ashei, the kids sitting a few feet away. "How do you feel?" she asked.

Ashei shrugged. "Feel almost fine now. Farther from that place, the better."

"How did you get in there?"

"Same as you, I suppose. I 'eard of some dissension in the Zora Domain and headed north to see if I could 'elp. They captured me soon after. I've been in that bloody chair nigh on four days; that scientist bloke liked to keep me knowledgeable about time."

"That's horrible," Ilia gasped. "What did they do to you?"

"I dunno." She ate a bite of Jalko's ration (it tasted a little like cornmeal). "Nothin' you'd think. Mostly it was a key - he tried to explain it to me, but it flew absolutely over my 'ead. Made me feel weak and 'elpless, somethin' I don't like feelin'."

"That's terrible," Ilia agreed, picking up a deku seed. She looked Ashei up and down and thought. "I'm sorry, but... where are you from?"

"Castle Town, born and raised," she answered easily. "Why?"

"Your accent sounds strange to me. Were your parents perhaps foreigners?"

"No." The soldier stopped. "My accent?"

"Yes. I've never heard anything like it."

"I 'avent _got_ an accent." She paused again. "I 'avent. I _haven't."_

One of the children pointed at Link, and the three of them erupted into laughter.

"This is so weird," Ashei admitted. "What 'appened to my voice?"

Ilia opened her mouth to respond, but Link interrupted her. "I think it's time we rested," he said. "I'll take the first watch, and Jalko the second. We need a third watch."

"I'll do it," Ashei said determinedly.

Jalko and Link exchanged a worried glance. "I'm not sure," Link said. "We don't know what that scientist was doing. You need your rest."

Ashei scowled.

"I'll take the third watch," Ilia offered.

Link looked at her. "Yes," he said hesitantly. "But, it is the last watch; you'd have to stay up the rest of the day."

"I know." She saw uncertainty in his gaze and got offended, adding, "I_ can_ sit around around and watch for enemies, Link."

He nodded. "Yeah. Okay. Then, Ilia, you're the third watch. Now get some rest." He looked pointedly at the kids._ "All _of you."

They groaned, but laid down on the rock floor, looking quite comfortable.

Jalko and Ilia, having been prepared, laid on their own bedrolls; Ashei borrowed Link's and slept soundly.

It didn't take long for most of the cave to be asleep. Ilia looked around at them, the peaceful kids curled up lovingly together, the two soldiers, and Link, who sat near the entrance, looking acutely out to the cliff. She laid back down on her bedroll, shifted uncomfortably, and fell into a fitful sleep.

* * *

Link stared out at the cliff beside the river, only half watching it. What was this key? What had the scientist said about it? _"Key of realms... wall between worlds... another dimension." _Could it help him reach Midna?

But the key had terrible effects. It had begun turning Link into a wolf. He didn't know why, but it did. The scientist claimed he had fused with a being from another world. He couldn't take out the key and risk the chance that it did this without use of the chair, and that he and his friends would become infused with something - or someone - that didn't belong. The very thought made him shudder.

He needed to find out what the key_ did,_ though, in a way that wouldn't harm anyone. The first option to spring to mind was to take it and run from the others, open it, and see; then come back after the effects wear off. But that would be too taxing for this group. They'd wonder where he was...

Things used to be so much easier when he went at this stuff _alone._

He looked back over the people in the cave. They all slept, the kids more so. Those three, in fact, seemed just at home in this dank environment.

The kids. What an enigma. They had no parents, at least none that Link knew of. They liked to kill without conscience and wanted to maim without caution. Their only friends were each other, a deep bond forged between them that Link himself had never really known. If one came, the others would follow.

He knew they were dangerous, and that every moment with these three kids was unpredictable. They seemed to be holding back their full potential and he didn't want to find out what happened if they stopped. He needed to find them shelter, and fast. Maybe Renado's firm hand and soft voice could teach them, or at least hold them back.

Link let out a long, deep sigh. Whatever threat they may present, the kids were, at least for now, pacified; he didn't have to worry about them until the morning.

* * *

Ilia felt like she'd been asleep for five minutes when Jalko woke her. She shifted groggily and peered up at him under heavy eyelids.

"Wake us at dawn," he whispered to her. "It has, as of yet, been a clear night, but you must remain alert." He shook her again to keep her from rolling back to sleep.

She forced herself up, unable to shake exhaustion from her eyes, and Jalko took her bedroll, falling quickly asleep in its warmth. She eyed him jealously for a moment, then made her way to the bitter cold of the entrance.

It was almost pitch-black beyond the rocky enclosure, and somewhere below she heard the telltale rushing of a river. All around, however silent inside the cave, were the calming chirps and clicks of insect life. She found herself smiling, reminiscing of the wilderness near her home in Ordon.

Before she knew it, the music of the surrounding nature had lulled her to sleep.

* * *

Everyone awoke to the same mind-numbingly loud explosion.

Ashei and Jalko, who were somewhat facing the entrance, saw the briefest and brightest flash of light when they opened their eyes, and all seven felt the proceeding wave of heat. Their ears might as well have exploded, because for a few moments after the sound all they could hear was a loud, buzzing ring.

The three kids, standing somewhat close to the explosion, had little time to celebrate before a deep rumbling sound cut cracks in the walls of the enclosure and small rocks fell with dust onto the kids. They scrambled further from the scene for self-preservation but attempted to remain as close as they could.

"Get back!" Ashei shouted, scrambling to her feet.

Link only had time to take a few steps toward the kids before rocks - then boulders - tore down from the cracked ceiling. "Run!" he yelled, coughing through clouds of dust, and motioned for the group to follow him deeper into the cave.

It had been hardly a minute after he'd woken up by the time it stopped. He looked back toward the soft, crinkling sounds of settling rocks, now encased in darkness.

They stood silently for a moment, staring toward their blocked exit.

"What _'appened?"_ Ashei asked breathlessly.

"This cave is strong," Jalko observed. "Someone purposely caused that collapse."

Prepubescent snickering broke the silence.

Link glared at the darkness housing the three children. "What did you do?" he asked them, anger and frustration coating his voice.

"You didn't _tell _us you had bombs," Jordan said pointedly, and was quickly shushed by his siblings.

"You - what were you doing in Ilia's pack?" he shouted angrily. "You could have died! We all could have died! What were you_ thinking?"_

"Explosions are fun," Ben said.

"_Fun?_ That kind of irresponsibility is what gets people killed!"

They stood in silence, but he couldn't tell whether or not his message got across. He clenched and unclenched his fists, gritting his teeth at the troublemakers. "All three of you are - we need to get you somewhere where people can watch over you. For now..." he thought. "Ashei, I want you to make sure they don't do anything. Not_ anything."_

He heard her release an exasperated sigh. "Me? Babysit? Come on, Link -"

"Ashei, these kids are dangerous. One more stunt like that and it could be the end for all of us."

He didn't hear a whisper from the kids, but he did hear their small feet shuffling against the floor.

"Alright," she said, "alright, I'll do it."

Link took a deep breath before turning back to the matter at hand. "Do we have everyone, at least? Is anyone hurt?"

"I'm healthy," Jalko said. "There's the kids, you me, and Ashei."

"What about Ilia?" Link asked.

The dark cave was silent.

Outside the cave, it was getting brighter - slowly, the sun's indirect light was illuminating the underground river chasm, but to very little effect. Ilia gaped at the settling wall of rock before her, tightly gripping the jutting rock she'd caught when flung back by the explosion.

"Wha...?" she breathed, in a moment of shock. She stumbled toward the boulder-wall and pressed against it. "Link?" she called into it. "Link! Can you hear me?" Shouting now, she continued, "Link! Are you alright? What happened?"

She listened intently for a reply, and began to get worried when she didn't hear one. "Link?" she shouted again. Then...

"_...Ilia?"_

Relief washed over her. "Link! Are you hurt? What was that?"

His voice came through, thoroughly muffled and as silent as a whisper. She had to strain to hear his words. _"We are all safe. Ilia, are you harmed at all?"_

Another voice, probably Jalko, seeped faintly through the rock as well._ "We are attempting to dig through this!"_

"I'm okay! Don't worry!" she called back. Then she followed their suit and began to pull loose rocks free of the structure, sending them tumbling into the river below. Soon, however, she came across heavy boulders she couldn't pull away. "They're stuck!" she shouted through the wall. "I can't move the rocks!"

There was a long pause of silence and she began to worry again - how big was that cave? Did they have air? Was there a way out? - until she finally heard a muffled reply.

"_Get out of the way,"_ it said._ "We'll attempt to push our way through!"_

She backed to the side of the entrance, clenching onto the wall for fear of falling into the river, and watched the pile of rock hopefully, panting slightly. To her dismay, however, nothing happened other than a light showering of dust.

"_Ilia?" _Link's voice called faintly through the rock.

She walked back to it. "I'm here," she answered.

"_We can't get through,"_ he shouted, his voice quiet through the rock. _"You can get to a park just outside of Castle Town farther up the river; there will be a hole in the ceiling of the cavern, the walls of which are laced with vines you can use to climb up. Take this route to get to Telma's."_

"What about you?" she called back. "How will you find safety?"

A pause. _"We'll follow the cave. There must be another exit. There's no telling when we'll next be united, so I want you to find a place to stay in Castle Town. Don't go back to Ordon," _he added.

"Why not?"

"_It's dangerous. Promise me you'll remain solely in Castle Town."_

She bit her lip. "I promise," she shouted hesitantly.

"_Ilia,"_ the quiet voice said, and paused. Its last word was so quiet that she wasn't sure she heard it. _"Goodbye."_

"Goodbye," she answered, just as quietly.

And she was alone, standing on a rocky cliff, hundreds of feet above a babbling, gushing river.


	8. Ch 7: Tunnels

**Author's Note:** I _told_ you I didn't forget about this.

* * *

**Chapter Seven**

**Tunnels  
**

The group of six walked silently through the dark cave, Link at the head with a lantern and Ashei carrying Ilia's satchel. So far, the tunnel was long, cold and damp, but showed no sign of ending.

"Are we there yet?" Ben whined.

Link stopped in his tracks. "What was that?" he asked.

"Just my brother's big mouth," Sasha answered, and hit Ben hard on the shoulder. He whined in protest.

"No, it's not that. Be quiet."

A hush settled around the group and Link listened hard.

"I don't hear anything," Jordan whispered.

Ashei shushed them and listened with Link.

There was a light scraping sound in the distance.

"That way," Link whispered, and pointed down a tunnel offshoot. They all walked quietly, even the kids.

As they rounded a rocky corner, a dark shape lumbered past their view. Link swept his arm back in a silent signal to stop, put out his lantern, and stepped forward on his own.

Some light filtered into the chamber from something too high up to see or reach, and it illuminated a switch on the wall; the rest of the chamber remained in darkness. He cautiously walked up and flipped the switch.

Suddenly, a row of lights brightened along the cave wall, streaming around the huge, rotund chamber and down the hall where the rest of his party stood in wait. The ceiling arched high up above him, and it was hard to tell whether the enclosure had been carved or simply eroded into shape. As they hesitated, a heavy slab of rock dropped into the archway connecting the chamber to the hall, disconnecting Link from his group.

He glanced at the empty room. This situation was all too familiar. He braced himself for an opponent.

The wait wasn't long. Seconds after the dirt settled around the fallen slab, a purple mist appeared in the center of the room, streaming out of some miniscule dot in the air. The smoke congealed and into existence appeared a huge, dark blue humanoid form.

It had huge, broad shoulders, and well-defined abdominal muscles outlined in shadow. Its arms and legs were equally endowed, the former flexing with anticipation, the latter relaxed and pointing toward the ground with two long, pointed claws at the end of each foot. The creature floated a few feet above the ground, an unlikely scenario given its massive bulk and the two very small sets of batlike wings stemming from its shoulders and forearms. Its ears expanded like spikes on either side of its small head, and a crown-like structure of indigo horns outlined the missing forms of two hearts above its small, gleaming yellow eyes. In its right hand it grasped a broad, blue sword with a yellow hilt, and its snakelike tail ended with a menacing curved blade. It stared challengingly down at Link, who perhaps measured up to its chest on level ground, and who at the moment barely stood higher than its knees.

Link returned the look and drew the Master Sword from its scabbard.

* * *

Ilia walked slowly along the cliffside. Ahead she saw that the path ended, but a pillar with a flat top stood at equal height a few feet away. She neared it and hugged the stone wall, the crisp morning air soothing her as she tried not to think about the hundred-foot drop below. She took a deep breath, judged the distance, and leapt.

At first she was terrified. She felt she had slipped a little on the edge of the slippery, grassy cliff, and didn't judge her trajectory very well. Soon, however, she did land, feet first. She made no effort to stop her momentum, so her knees followed suit; she caught herself on the circular pillar before any more of her could get hurt.

She raised her head. Another pillar. Another jump.

Where had Link said the entrance to Castle Town was? _Farther down the river. _Not even a single vague warning about a life-or-death bout of pillar-hopping. She climbed to her feet unsteadily. The pillar was plenty wide for her; it could fit four or five people on it. But this high above the raging waters it felt as though one flinch could send her screaming down to her death.

Ilia tried to focus on the jump, and not the possible fall. For a second time she prepared, then leapt.

This time she landed on her feet, but shakily. This platform was about as wide as the previous one, but thankfully - or maybe not, depending on the point of view - it had a few narrow but sturdy-looking planks of wood connecting it to the path on the other side of the river. She tried to look at them without seeing the river far below.

"How does he _do _this?" she muttered. She lowered a trembling foot onto the middle plank. It didn't wobble at all. She let out a long sigh.

After a few minutes, Ilia was all the way across. She hadn't realized she was shaking quite so much, and hugged the wall in an effort to stop. Her hands felt slippery with sweat, so she tried to wipe it off on her clothes and the rock wall.

She continued down the path for a while, and eventually saw what Link had been talking about; a hole in the ceiling covered in vines. The path wound outward a little, nearing the edge of another pillar. This one was considerably wider and taller than the two she'd had the misfortune of encountering before, and was also laced with vines. Cut into the pillar on the side by her path was a kind of platform.

This time she managed not to think about the river at all until after she made the leap across, standing on the flat indentation into the pillar. The rest of its height loomed above her, and she grasped a vine to keep from falling back.

She was surprised by how strong it was. Ilia pulled against the vine, but it wouldn't budge; it was deeply rooted into the rock. She anchored a foot into the twisting rope-like plant and tested out its strength.

The climb to the top of the pillar was easy - if she _didn't_ look down. It was almost as if someone had put a natural ladder here for this purpose. Soon she got to the flat top of the pillar and looked around her.

"Um..."

It was true there were vines growing around the hole in the ceiling, and that they were at about her level. But there was no path to them. And she definitely wasn't going to jump.

"Oh, this is just fantastic," she sighed, and put her hands on her hips.

"Hey!" someone called down to her, and she squinted up through the glaring sunlight. A silhouette leaned into the hole toward her. "Need some help?"

"Yes, please!" Ilia shouted up to the helper. Judging by the voice, it was a man, a little elderly. He disappeared for a while, and returned with something in his hands. He tossed one end down to her, and she caught it. It was rope.

"Just hang on to the rope and jump off the pillar. You can swing across to the vines."

She peered up at him. "What about you?"

"I tied the other end to a rock. It won't drop you."

She did as he asked and gripped the rope tightly, then peered worriedly down to the river.

"Don't think about it! Just hold on and jump."

Ilia took a deep breath, shut her eyes, and jumped.

She fell for a few moments, then the rope went taut and she slipped an inch or two as she swung just below the vine-covered wall. She opened her eyes - _looking only up_ - and quickly grasped the vine with one hand.

"Now climb up," the man said. She noticed his voice was a little shrill. "Hurry up, and be careful."

Ilia moved her hand back to the rope and climbed it, thankful that she'd spent so much time in the woods growing up. She and Link used to race to the tops of trees, using hanging vines, clinging vines, and any other form of support to help them along the way. Unfortunately, she'd lost her appetite for heights since then.

She pulled herself up to ground level, panting. "Thanks," she said to her rescuer, and pulled herself to her feet.

"Sure thing," he snapped.

She looked over toward him - and let out a short, sharp scream.

He jumped back in alarm. "Jeez! Don't _do_ that!"

She stared at him. He seemed almost like a small argarok; he had an angular head with a beak, a long, feathery tail, and feathered, batlike wings adorned with small claws. He was almost entirely black, with purple markings adorning his feathers, and stood up to her thighs.

"Stop staring," he said, glaring at her. "It's not like I _want _to be a bat-bird-thing. Look, you owe me a favor, girl, and I need food."

She crossed her arms. "My name is Ilia. Why can't you get your own food? I'm sure there's plenty of mice around here."

"_Mice? _Pleh!" He stuck out his blue-purple tongue. "I'm talking about _fruit,_ inconsiderate girl. I was shunted out of my home, and I've been in this bright, ugly kingdom for a week now and guess what? I haven't seen a speck of it growing wild. They won't let me in the city because I'm too frightening." He shifted his weight. "I did you a kindness, didn't I? Now go and get me some fruit."

Ilia sighed. For a moment she'd thought her rescuer was a monster - and now she knew she'd been right. But his point was valid. He _had _helped her up from the river. "Sure," she said, "But only because you helped me."

He motioned to the city doors. "I'm starving. Get three."

She let out a breath, then complied.

* * *

She stalked into Castle Town, confused and annoyed. Whoever - or whatever - her rescuer was, he was a jerk. She'd get him food, then go to Telma's to wait for Link.

But did she really want to wait for Link? She pondered this as she made her way to the fruit stand. She could be helpful. After all, that's why she had joined Link in the first place, to help him find the girl he loved. Or, if that proved unsuccessful, provide a shoulder for him to lean on. What could she do here besides help Telma tend bar?

She came to the stand and bought a few varied pieces of fruit. He was probably a picky eater, so she got a wide variety.

As Ilia turned back to the city, she thought about her odd, birdlike rescuer. He'd said something about his home, his kingdom - he'd said he'd been trapped here, away from it, for a week. Maybe she_ could_ be helpful. Maybe she could help the jerk find his way back home.

He was waiting irritatedly when she got back. "Thank Nayru," he exclaimed. "I'd begun to think you wouldn't come back. Give me my fruit."

She put the selection on a rock. "Where do you come from?" she asked.

He eyed her as he picked up the apple in his sharp, black talons. "What do you care? I doubt you've even heard of it." He pierced the fruit with his beak.

Ilia crossed her arms. "I want to help you," she announced.

He looked at her, then seemed as if he were about to laugh. "You? A girl? Help me?" He let out a loud honking noise. "I'd like to see that."

She huffed. "I'm not just some girl," she said. "I happen to be a great fighter and a smart planner. Without me, Link would never have gotten -"

"Link?" the creature interrupted. "You know Link?"

Ilia was taken aback, and hesitated. "Yeah," she said, at a loss. "Do you?"

He put down the apple, which now had several beak-shaped holes in it. "No, but... is this Link... a brave, strong, gullible idiot by any chance? Wears green, has blue, dumb eyes?"

She opened and closed her mouth. "I guess so," she said cautiously. "Where have you heard of him?"

"My Princess told us of him. A clueless hero. He saved us from a magical, tyrant king and returned the rightful heir, our Princess, to the throne." He looked at her, then snapped his beak. "If anyone can help us now, he can. Tell me where to find him." The fruit lay all but forgotten.

Ilia narrowed her eyes. "If you want Link, you're out of luck. I'm not sure where he is. I guess I'm the best you've got."

He looked her up and down. "Ugh. How can I leave the fate of the Twili in _your_ hands?"

"Look, whatever you've been through doesn't give you the right to accuse me of being lesser than Link just because I'm a girl."

The bird scoffed. "I'm not saying you're less than him because you're a _girl,_ you brat. I'm saying you're less than him because everyone in this sun-bleached world is." He ruffled his feathers and picked the apple up again.

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I'm sorry if I _assume_ that not every Hylian this side of the mirror has the Goddess-given ability to survive across realms." He looked Ilia over. "Unless you happen to turn into some fabled green-eyed beast in the twilight, we have nothing to discuss." He bit into the apple.

"What?" Ilia asked, her arms dropping to her sides. "What are you talking about, crossing realms?"

He gave her a sideways glance. "Just how close _are_ you to the green-clad hero?"

"I'm Link's best friend. So he would have told me if he'd gone crossing realms or turning into beasts."

He let out the honking noise again. "Unless my Princess is a guiltless liar, your Link isn't as trusting as he seems."

She was about to retort, but remembered Link's deal with her. His immense secrecy, their point-per-question game that had so far yielded few results. Then she remembered what had happened to him in the scientist's dungeon: his claws, his frail wolflike deformities. Could he really hide such a thing from her - a whole other realm he'd crossed into?

She watched the bird finish the apple; he looked like he was doing his best to ignore her. "What's your name?" she asked.

He looked as if he wasn't going to answer her. Then, when she was about to repeat the question, he said, "Ereil."

"Well, then, Ereil. You're stuck with my help whether you want it or not. So tell me what exactly happened to you."

Again he surveyed her, this time with more interest and slightly more respect. "I doubt there's anything you can do," he remarked, "but I suppose you can't make things very much worse either. Very well." He turned toward her. "I'll tell you."


End file.
